Student financial aid forms are far too complicated and confusing, and if the government wants to encourage students to go to college, the financial aid application process needs to be simplified, according to a recent report.

The Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance told Congress in its January report that the paperwork involved in the process of applying for financial aid is far too overwhelming. They recommend that forms have fewer questions that are easier to answer.

“If we are truly committed as a nation to increasing access to college, then we must work together to provide low-income students with adequate grant aid and with a student aid system that is simple and fair,” William Goggin, the committee’s interim staff director, said in a press release.

Making the process easy, giving students more information, creating an integrated Web-based system and making more public-private partnerships will benefit all students, but especially the very poorest, the report said. It adds that students should not be penalized by automatically receiving less aid when they decide to work while in school.

Rather than promoting access to college, the committee found that student aid often creates a “series of barriers” which students must maneuver through. The complexity of the system should be replaced with “a steady stream of encouragement” making access to college simple and certain, according to the report.

About 60 percent of SF State students are receiving some form of financial aid, said Barbara Hubler, the SF State director of financial aid.

“Clearly, simplicity would be a good thing, especially for low-income students,” Hubler said. She added she would also like to allow students to confirm their family’s income level through the IRS. Families who are able to contribute to educational costs would still be required to do so.

“If they make it too simple, families that may be able to contribute may not contribute,” Hubler said.
The report recommends ten key changes to student financial aid. According to their suggestions, Congress should create a system allowing students to quickly access information, calculate their family’s financial need, and apply for grants and loans.

Eight of the recommendations would not increase costs, the report said. Two of them require a relatively small investment, which could be phased in over several years.

For Kali Lamping, a Liberal Studies major, filling out the online application for federal student aid was not complicated. The instructions she received at the Financial Aid office on campus made it simple, she said.

“I thought it was really easy,” Lamping said. “Once you’re online it takes you step by step through the process. It’s way easier than doing your taxes or something like that.”

Lamping was not asked to submit a lot of additional paperwork with her application, she said. “It pretty much just asks for forms to verify your income,” Lamping said.